GREAT FEGO! FEGOCO!!

Gabriel stood with his arms akimbo, thinking of the options available to him at the moment.

The call from his wife had got him very rattled; sweat beads had begun forming on his forehead, and his palms were sticky.

It was a cold Friday night in Escravos, and the last crew of workers had left with the speed boat back to Warri, and the helicopter had not arrived for the weekend.

He thought grimly to himself, “Even if I get a canoe, who can paddle the distance, and God knows the time it will take”. The thought that his seven-month-old son was lying ill at home and his wife couldn’t drive safely thawed at his heart. Phone calls to a few family and friends he could remember that night were either disconnected or unanswered. 

It was already 1 am and Suzzane could wait no more. Her little baby’s temperature was raging hot, and Gabriel had just left for work two days earlier. She sobbed and consoled herself while murmuring, ” I can drive oo…. I will drive “. With all the courage in her heart, she grabbed the car keys, carried her baby on her shoulders then opened the door of the house as she hopped into her car with her wrapper dragging behind.

She cranked the engine and drove off after setting her baby down on his car seat. She had not driven for more than nine minutes when she noticed that Uwa Clinic and Maternity was open.

She immediately drove towards the entrance, honked her car, and a gateman who appeared to be sleeping earlier lazily opened the gate. Without switching off the car engine, she rushed her baby into the reception, screaming for help.

The nurse at the reception looked at her, puzzled and inquired about the situation. Suzzane could only point at the baby, who had now been handed over to another nurse.

“Madam, you are very lucky; the Pediatrician just arrived for duty less than twenty minutes ago”, the nurse said.

“Anyway, before we go on, you have to open a file with us and make a deposit of Twenty Thousand Naira”.

At the mention of money, Suzzane’s heart skipped. She forgot to pick up her wallet, which held her ATM card, as she rushed out of the house.

“Lemme rush back home and bring the money, I forgot my wallet”, Suzzane said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

The nurse replied with a sarcastic tone, “Madam, you go carry your pikin with you o because we no go fit treat am until you pay something”.

Suzzane’s eyes popped between awe and astonishment as the nurse spoke, but as she tried to reply, she burst into tears.

The Pediatrician was just coming out of his office when he heard a little scuffle at the reception.

“What’s happening here?” he asked.

Suzzane wanted to speak but at the same moment Gabriel called. She picked up her husband’s call while the nurse explained the situation to the Doctor on duty.

Suzzane was surprised when she finished her call; she couldn’t find the nurses and the Doctor again. The sound of their voices with her baby’s cry gave her direction to the examination room.

They were already attending to her child without much ado when she got there. She wondered what must have changed as she was yet to bring the money.

She joined the others in the examination room, and in about thirty minutes, her child had fallen into a deep sleep with his temperature drastically reduced.

With tears of joy in her eyes and respite in her heart, she thanked the Doctor, but he smiled affectionately back at her and said, “Call back your husband”.

Suzzane was stunned. My husband? She asked, but the Doctor only smiled some more while nodding simultaneously.

She called her husband and handed the phone to the Doctor. 

A twinkle came into Gabriel’s eyes when his Hello! was replied with Gaboski!!

“Who be this?” Gabriel retorted, and on the other end, he heard … “Na me Bubay!!” 

A fire had been lit from two distances between two ex-boys from Ogunu road, and what comes next is the memory ….. and for once tonight, Gabriel laughed.

His wife could hear her once tensed husband now laughing heartily from the other end even as the Doctor gave her a knowing gesture that all is well, and she beamed once again, remembering the stories her husband had told her of the six years of his life opposite Shell gate.